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SoftBank and GungHo buy 51% of Supercell for $1.5B, but Clash of Clans maker ‘in full control’

Japanese telecoms company Softbank and gaming company GungHo Online Entertainment have agreed to purchase a 51 percent stake in the Finnish games studio Supercell.

The deal, struck on Tuesday, will see the two companies take a controlling stake in the gaming studio in a bid to expand their market share. While it might seem like a bit of a left-field move for a mobile operator, Softbank hasn’t been shy in the past of striking deals with gaming companies and already has a pre-existing relationship with GungHo Online Entertainment.

Valued at $1.5 billion, Ilkka Paananen wrote in a blog post that the agreement would help the goal of becoming “the first truly global games company”. He added that by partnering with SoftBank, the company gains access to “a massive selection of strategic resources” but reassured that “we are still in full control of our future and will continue to operate independently”.